Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-12-27
NO MANS LAND.
False Reports Corrected.

Correspondence Of the Wichita Eagle.
Erroneous and startling descriptions of
the state of things in the Neutral Strip
get into the papers often. The.writers
seem to stretch their imagination. color
ing and eXaggerating, as if the marvel
Gus only, coming from this quarter.
would be believed; the grossest misrepre
sensations are perpetrated to satiate a
morbid taste for falseh0od and fiction.
Such a description, written by a Mr. J.
NJ Brock was published recently in an
Illinois paper and then copied into an
Ohio paper to give the matter a wider
circulation.
So far as his description relating to
Beaver City is concerned. there is
scarcely a word of truth in it. The facts
OF the case are these. viz: Mir. B. and
his party of eight persons from Meade
Center. a neighboring town in Kansas.
came into Beaver one Sabbath morning
last September-made their headquarters
at the principal saloon of the place and
drank and caroused all day. cavorting
over town, causing more Sabbath desc
Grafton than has occurred before or since
ON the Sabbath all summer. Late in the
afternoon this invading party of ten
derfoots left town. all but
one under the influence of
liquor and some OF them dead drunk and
bearing away filth and dirt from our
back ways upon their person.
The reporter of this party OF tender
foots" in writing up Beaver says: The
/ Sabbath day is held in contempt" $50 it
was by their parity. .'Churches there
are none. And yet. at the same time
he and his party Were SO shamefullv
raiding orr street. two Sabbath schools
We're in session and services were held
by two different religious denominations
twice that day. and so every Sabbath al!
summer and fall \ majority of our
citizens patronizc these services, and all
respect them. and the observance of the
Sabbath compares favorablv with any
town in western Kansas. We have a
few eN-Cowboys who are for the most
part orderly citizens. bat they are gen
orally ON parade whc1 we are visited bv
''tenderfoots to show urthe evil minded
and guy them with marvellous stories.
There is not word of truth IN Mr..
j. 5 statement that we have no officers;
have an organized city government. Il
most efficient city marshal and other
officers not: a criminal or muir
deter in town. Several bands
OF marauders and outlaws have sought
To get foothold in our town. but they
have been promptly broken UP.
MIR. b. did not see or get ANYTHING
straight III his description of Beaver.
I7,SfaaI IF ..>.,---,'' W., l,a--,
saloons. ana not one OF them Is sutfi-
ciently iktronized counting the tender
footS. who are the best cJl>tomer>.) To
pay expenses. The wholesale liquor
house has closed up for want OF patron
age. Instead OF two" general stores
we have eight. and some of them are
cong 4 large business.
\ PLAN but neat Presbyterian house of
worship is rapidly approaching compile
ton and Viii soul bc occupied by an an
preciative little flock One OF vour
prominent. farse,'inc and truly benevo-
lent Christian gentlemen of Wichita
contributed $iUa 10 the enterprise. thuS
becoming the largest stakeholder in the
first house Of worship erected in No
Mans Land.
improvements are going or
quite briSkly for the season
and our population Is increasing winter
as II Is. The public spirit Of our citizens
Is showing itself in the construction 90 a
good road across the notorious sand hills.
making travel 10 Kansas and the railroad
more convenient. We are having some
sharp winter, more snow than usual.
Man and beast, however, are weathering
through nicely. THE NEUTRAL SPY.
BEAVER CITY. Dec. ~. 1897,